Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer mapping of incident location data. More specifically, the present invention relates to the interactive tool for location mapping and analysis of petrochemical incidents based on real time or historical data.
Description of the Related Art
Annually 3.1 billion tons of hazardous materials (hazmat) are transported across the United States by truck, rail, pipeline or marine vessel. The daily total is estimated at more than 817,000 shipments. The prevalence of shipments is by truck, (60 percent of all total hazmat shipments) along the nation's roadways and throughout cities and neighborhoods.
There are websites that provide information on various types of incidents, as a mapping function. Hazmat (www.hazmat.globalincidentmap.com/map.php) is one of these sites but it, however, shows “real-time” incidents and none that are historical in nature. Moreover, one cannot query additional information, such as local schools, hospitals, etc. nor can one download the data for further analysis. The data seem to come from media outlets and not from a government agency. There is also software that generates Hazmat compliant routes, such as www.pcmiler.com/products/pcmiler-hazmat.asp. Thus, there is a recognized need for a type of system that contains all the historical information alongside the critical infrastructures and real-time data that are easily available for first responder usage.
Therefore, the prior art is deficient in incident location and analysis systems that derive data from government agencies. Particularly, the prior art is deficient in a user interactive hazardous materials incident location system that can locate and analyze historical and real time incident information. The present invention fulfills this longstanding need and desire in the art.